by David Chadwick

"Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises his ways will die." Proverbs 19:16

God gives us commands all throughout Scripture to guide us, lead us, and sanctify us. He knew that we needed clear instructions and boundaries in order to rightly live in his world. His commandments were never meant to control us but to offer us true freedom.

Proverbs 19:16 is today's proverb. It says, "Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises his ways will die."

This is a general life principle: the person who keeps God's commandments will live a good and worthy life. God has ordained certain principles into his universe that he desires all people to follow. As a general rule, living according to God's ways leads to experiencing God's blessing of life. Said another way: We don't break God's laws. They break us.

But if we despise God's ways and live in open rebellion against him, the result is death, both physically and eternally. A selfish life lived on our own inevitably leads to pain, hurt, and agony.

How do you know what God's commands are? What are his commandments by which he expects us to live? The 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:2-17) are a good place to start! They are a tremendous starting point to find God's ways and principles. A great discipline would be to memorize the 10 Commandments so that they are always in our hearts.

From there, read God's Word on a regular basis. It is so important to know his Word and obey it. Obedience brings blessing. Disobedience brings discipline. This principle holds true in our everyday lives, but more importantly, in our relationship with God.

It is also so important to teach these principles and commandments to our children so they, too, can learn how to live faithful and righteous lives for Jesus.

Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). The only way to experience his abundant life is through a yielded life. A life committed to his ways, his truth, and his life! Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

The Gospel is the most powerful force in the world. God created commands and sent Jesus to live them out in a perfect way. Where we would have fallen short, Jesus reigned victorious. He has now given us his Holy Spirit to empower us to model our lives after his and invite others to do the same. What grace! What love! What power!